the East Wind
by emletish
Summary: IT is three years after the end of the war and our heroes meet up again on another quest, this time for more air benders. drama abounds, hilarity overflows and hijinks ensue. Will Aang be able to teach tylee air bending? will Zuko ever learn to relax?
1. A problem and solution

The east wind.

A new beginning.

Sokka looked down at Suki while she was dozing in front of the fire, snoring ever so gently. He wanted to wake her up and tell her his fabulous news but at the same time he didn't want to wake her because she was always so grumpy when he did that. He settled for nestling beside her and trying to wake her up with his vibes.

If such a feat were possible, the intent way Sokka stared at the girl would have definitely woken even the deepest slumber but as it was, Suki was exhausted from her days training the young villagers, boys and girls. Suki had a teacher's patience and practicality with the village children as she taught them all sorts of differing skills and fighting styles. She had seemed in her element, but Sokka knew she's been unhappy in the Southern Winter. They've never intended to stay this long really, but a terrible storm had ravaged the south pole and made the usually pleasant trip to Kyoshi impassable for 2 months now. Sokka had raised the idea that they send for Aang and fly out on Appa but Katara had nixed that idea pretty quickly. Sokka had then raised an eyebrow and Katara's reaction and she's gotten, well, huffy and had stalked off.

What had happened between those two? Sokka was baffled. One day everything was hunky dorky, the next it was like an awkward explosion had sucked all the fun out of the room and replaced it with a giant fog of uncomfortable. Not even Toph made any comments, _that's_ how uncomfortable it was. The silence was so charged between Aang and Katara that Sokka knew if they'd had Zuko with them he'd have been able to bend lighting out of it. This silence was oppressively and powerfully uncomfortable. It was more uncomfortable than the time they'd gone into the jasmine dragon to find that Iroh had hired this cute girl called Jin, and apparently she and Zuko had gone out on one date and the Firebender had used that an excuse to just be a giant blob of social-ineptitude. But this day around this camp fire had been even more awkward than that day in the teashop. The silences felt even more embarrassing than that time he'd gone with Zuko to apologise to some Earth chick he'd stolen an ostrich horse from. Wow. Sokka had never seen anyone, _in his entire life,_ dig such a big whole for themselves so quickly. The silence that had followed Zuko's dithering, blathering apology was one giant awkward sandwich with embarrassing sauce on top and it had still been less awkward than this campfire.

Suki was the first one to interrupt the silence, first by coughing very pointedly, then by standing up and finally by announcing that she and Sokka would be splitting from the group soon.

"Sokka and I have been thinking. And we think it's time we went back to the Southern Water Tribe and Kyoshi Island…." The silence that followed was broken only by Momo's chattering and reproachful look. "Don't look at me like that, it's just for a little while" Suki said out loud to the lemur bat. And this somehow, miraculously broke the tension.

Suki would later tell him that she had thought, in for a penny, in for a pound. This situations is difficult anyway so what's the damage in making extra difficult. The charm of travelling with Aang and trying to fix the world's problems was wearing thin. She had wanted to go home for a while. She missed Kyoshi and her warriors and having a permanent home. Sokka had already known, in his heart, that where ever Suki went, he would follow. They'd been talking about it for a while. Sokka didn't want to leave Katara, he'd always assumed that she'd stick with Aang. But upon Suki's announcement she had leapt to her feet.

"I'll go with you! I've been missing home too."

"I'll fly you guys there." Aang offered helpfully and Katara gave him a look. A look that threatened to bring a tsunami of awkward back on the group. Toph couldn't see this look and if she could sense the awkward she just ignored it.

"Alright! South pole it is!" Toph announced enthusiastically. She'd been quite chipper about it until Sokka had explained how much snow and ice they'd be encountering. Then she visibly blanched at the thought of going everywhere in bare feet over ice. It still didn't stop her though.

They'd left the next morning for the south pole. They had decided to go to the south pole first. It was the middle for the southern summer and the best time to go home. This time of year they could be the most helpful for the village which would be stocking up for the winter. If Sokka could go back in time, he would've made sure they'd gone to Kyoshi first so at least Suki wouldn't have to be snowed in here.

Aang and Toph had stayed only for three days. Toph hated, _hated _the south pole. She taken to demanding PiggyBacks everywhere from Sokka because she couldn't see through all the ice and her feet were too cold and who wants to wear snow shoes anyway. She'd broken three walls and two igloos and one snow man by 'accident' which Sokka interpreted as just plain old frustration. It wouldn't do Toph any good to stay for the original plan of two months. Sokka was sure the South Pole couldn't take it. He and Suki and mulled it over. Suki put forward ideas, ideas that Sokka promptly pooo-pooed, much to her annoyance.

"We could all hop on Appa and the whole gang could go straight away to kyoshi?" Suki said

"Have you seen how awkward it's been with the whole gang lately?" Sokka replied. It wasn't the real reason, but he thought the real reason sounded too selfish. He'd only just gotten home and he hadn't realized till then how much he'd missed it.

"Well maybe Toph and Aang could keep travelling together, doing Avatar stuff?" Suki said in what she thought was a reasonable voice.

"Are you crazy? Do you know what those two could get up too without adult supervison."

"Are you the adult supervision!" Suki exclaimed with disbelief.

"No, I meant Katara… obviously"

"What about sending her back home for a bit. We've all been travelling with Aang for years now, everyone is feeling a bit homesick, she must miss Gaoling, even a little bit." Suki said quietly.

For a moment Sokka was taken aback by the simplicity of tehs uggestion. Could they really all just go back home, pick up where they left off, after everything? If they did that then what would happen to Aang. All this talk of home was very well for him and Suki and Katara. But Aangs home was an empty temple filled with dust and memories. And Toph, she had made it abundantly clear after the first time they went back to Gaoling that she never wanted to go there again. No, going home was not the simple answer it once was.

"No, It's her choice and she doesn't want to go back there."

"Well, it's not fair to her to expect her to stay here in this icy craphole for two months."

"Oi! That's my home you're talking about!"

"Well what do you suggest then Ideas guy? Cause so far I'm the only one think up solutions."

It was if the universe, which had previously been filled with antipathy towards Sokka, saw this moment to help him out. In the form a fire nation messenger hawk. From his favourite royal dorklord. No power in the universe, no fire nation decree, could stop Sokka from calling Zuko variations on dorklord. These included 'your dorkiness', 'sir dorksalot' and 'dorkbender'. It made Zuko hilariously mad which only encouraged Sokka more. Besides Sokka had been there for the several of the prince's more notable dorky escapades and he considered Dork a term of endearment and a big step up from his previous nicknames for zuko which included Jerk bender, angry jerk, etc.

"The Fire nation!" he cried.

"Where?" suki spun immediately into a fighting stance. Old habits die hard.

"No I mean we can send them to Zuko! It's perfect! He's go an enormous palace filled so there's more than enough room for them, and country full of social problems for Aang to solve so he'll feel like he's doing his Avatar bit and it's also full of jerks for Toph to beat up, so she'll be right in her element! She's always got a kick out of tormenting assholes. It's like her favourite hobby. Let's go ask them."

Toph had been ecstatic at the idea! She could drink tea with Iroh, run amok round the palace and throw rocks at Ozai everyday just for shiggles. Oh yeah! Fire nation beware! Aang however seemed a little more reluctant. He gave Katara a long look before finally sighing and saying "alright then" in a tone of voice that implied. "actually it's not alright, but I'm just going to go with the flow."


	2. an Exchange of Letters

Sokka wrote of a quick hasty reply to Zuko:

Your Dorkiness

Aang and Toph coming to visit. Brace yourself.

Suki and Katara say hi.

P.S. it's Toph's 15th birthday in two weeks so get her something good. Or she'll kick your ass.

Cheers

Sokka

…..

Sokka

Please, for the love of all that is sacred, stop calling me your dorkiness.

Re: Aang and Toph. Why? When did this happen? How long will they be staying?

I mean they are always welcome and yeah, just a bit more notice would be great. What if I was doing something?

Tell Katara and Suki I say hi back.

Sincerely

Zuko

P.S. what should I get Toph?

….

You dorkiness,

Not even a royal decree could stop me. It's a step up from jerkbender and it suits you! So there.

Re: Aang and Toph. Because they hate the south pole. We decided just now. Coming to crash at your place for an undefined period of time. We'll come pick them after this period of time has elapsed.

But you weren't doing something, were you?

Katara wants to know if you remembered to incorporate Water-tribe day into the fire nation calendar.

Suki wants to know if you've heard anything from the kyoshi warriors now that 'your dippy friend' is there.

Cheers

Sokka

P.S. I dunno about Toph's present. What do you get for the blind earth bender who has it all? Something fire-nationy maybe?

…

Sokka

I prefer jerkbender, in an odd way.

Told uncle, He says hi.

He's excited about his favourite tea drinking partner coming to stay. And the avatar too. So what are your plans?

I could've been doing something very busy and royal and important.

What is water tribe day and when did I agree to do this?

By 'dippy friend' I assume you mean Ty lee. Ty Lee send me two crazy looking fans. One for me and one Azula. They are some how meant to help us bond as siblings because of auras and whats-its. So we can wave our feelings at each other I think. She likes Kyoshi Island. Hates how restrictive the warriors outfit is. She misses Mai and fire flakes. Does that help Suki?

Sincerely

Zuko

P.S. I'm in the fire nation, everything is firenationy.

P.S. firenationy isn't a word.

…

Your Dorkiness

I can't change your nickname now. You are stuck with it.

Tell your uncle we say high back. We'll stay in the south pole for a bit and then go to Kyoshi Island then come visit you.

Toph's learning to play pai sho and has kindly offered to kick his butt over tea.

Doing what? All you royals do is sit around being royal.

Water tribe Day is something you and Katara came up with on the last fire nation festival we were there for. You were both drinking that nasty concoction and had gotten a bit merry and declared yourselves 'besh frens forevs.' Water tribe day is meant to symbolize friendship between our two peoples and happen on Katara's birthday. There was also something about blue fireworks.

Suki says that's not entirely helpful, but thank you anyway. And that you should remind you 'dippy friend' that the warriors outfit comes from a long tradition of blah-di-blah and should be respected.

How did it go with Azula and the fans?

Toph says don't wave your feelings at me.

Cheers

Sokka.

…..

Sokka

Of course you can change what you call me! You're the one writing it! There's no hard and fast rules for nicknamery.

Tell Toph that Uncle's pretty good at pai sho. He'll give her a run for her money. When will they be arriving?

I do a lot more than just sit about being royal you know. I have heaps to do and you distracting me with this inane correspondence.

Tell Katara I'm really sorry, but I forgot about Water Tribe day. You can't hold me to promises I make after 3 fire wines. I could schedule it for later this year. Or remind me about it earlier next year.

Tell Suki I'll tell Tylee

It went okay with Azula and the fans. She was having a good day and attacked me with it. I'm fine, but they took the fan off her.

I wasn't planning on blowing my feelings at anyone.

Sincerely

Zuko.

…

Your Dorkiness

Nicknamery isn't a word either.

Aang and Toph will arrive the day after tomorrow.

My correspondence is never inane.

Katara's mad at you now. She really wanted a festival on her birthday and she can't believe you forgot.

That's a good day? What happens on a bad day?

Yeah that's good. Nobody likes blowy feelings.

Cheers

Sokka.

…

Sokka

Tell Aang and Toph I'll see them the day after tomorrow. And I guess I'll see you guys after you're done with Kyoshi Island. Tell Ty lee I said hi.

I can't believe Katara remembered! How can she be mad. It's not like I forgot her actual Birthday! I sent her that gold bracelet for her birthday.

You don't want to know.

Sincerely

Zuko.


	3. the musings of katara

The new fortifications glimmered in the cold winter sun. Katara smiled at granpakku as they bent the last of the ice blocks into place. He's been busy in the three years since the end of the war. The southern water tribe was flourishing again. After the final battle Pakku had returned to Gran Gran and together they'd slowly reconstructed katara's home in traditional southern style. Gran Gran was quite insistent that thing look as they had before the war, that the southern water tribe architectural style would be preserved. She had sat behind pakku in those early days, her hands occupied with some task or other and offering what she called 'constructive criticism' and granpakku called 'bloody backseat bending'.

The village looked completely different to the one she had left four years ago. Was it really only four years? Katara didn't like to tell Gran Gran, but she couldn't remember the village as anything other than a small collection of igloos. These imposing ice towers that Gran Gran said were southern water tribe style, were just as foreign to Katara as any in the earth kingdom or the fire nation. She briefly thought about what Zuko and Toph were up too. She tried almost deliberately to not think of Aang. It'd been so long since they heard anything. The blizzard that had set in two days after Aang and Toph hadn't let up until this morning. She and Granpakku were using the opportunity to restore some of the buildings that had collapsed under the weight of the snow. She took a moment to be thankful that Toph and Aang had made it out. Toph hated the south pole and all the ice underfoot and the lack of solid ground. Her attempts to find solid ground had broken three defensive walls, cracked two igloos and squashed Aang's snowman. Yes, it was a good thing she and aang made it out before the storm hit. Neither of them took well to being cooped up, katara told herself. This was the only reason she felt such a tide of relief at their departure. It had nothing to do with the awkwardness that had sprouted up between her and Aang, after they… and then he said…. And then she did….oh bloody hell, Katara didn't even want to think about it.

Maybe absence would make the heart grow fonder and not seeing each other for a while was all that they needed to repair this thing that had sprung up between them . The messenger hawks couldn't get through this stormy weather. And they'd heard nothing since they received a hastily dashed off message from Zuko. She could tell it was hastily dashed off because his handwriting was much more erratic than usual, there was no greeting and it didn't end with 'sincerely, Zuko' but a squiggly line that Katara assumed was meant to be a Z.

They arrived safe last night. Chaos abounds! Aang and Toph fine but parts of the palace in ruins. Toph says she'll fix it. Write more later.

Z

The storm had closed in after that and they hadn't received Zuko's next letter. Still Katara mind boggled at his first. 'chaos abounds ' what did _that _mean? She could well see Toph, fierce and fabulous, unashamedly causing chaos and Aang with his gentle nature just going with the flow and Zuko's eccentric Uncle Iroh egging them on. She wondered what Zuko had gotten Toph for her Birthday. Something firenationy no doubt. She had a flash of anger that he'd forgotten her birthday celebration again. And no, a gold bracelet didn't make up for it. Though it was kind of pretty. A dragon with some blue stone for eyes, curling around on itself. It glinted in the sun for a second as she threw her arms up in sync with Grand pakku as they reconstructed one of the split Igloos.

Water Tribe Day was the best idea ever.

If he could make East Wind Day in honour of the Air-benders and peace and co-operation and all that other stuff then he could bloody well do "Water Tribe Day" in honour of how awesome the water tribes were. East Wind Day had been an idea he and Aang had come up with one day, not long after the war, when Zuko was still travelling with them. She remembered the back and forth argument. Zuko wanted to do something that would remember the airbenders and what the fire nation did.

Not a sad day, Aang had insisted. They would like to be remembered as they lived, with joy and peace.

Well what happened to them isn't exactly joyful. Zuko had countered.

Then Aang had launched into a lengthy anecdote about his friend Kuzon and all the fire nation festivals they had gone to and how much the fire nation loved to celebrate. And how awesome fire works were. So there should definitely be fireworks involved somehow.

" W ell maybe it should be a celebration of the war's end then, and all us working together and like… beings friends." Zuko trailed off at that last bit as if he was still, after all this time, unsure of his place in the group and if they all really were friends. Katara remembered think that he never had friends growing up. Neither did Toph for that matter. Katara made a promise to herself then, that none of these people in the saddle with her would be lonely again.

Zuko let Aang pick the day and he'd picked the Day of the East Wind in the airbender calendar. The east where things began. Aang said it signified the start of something new but acknowledged the past. Really it was their new years celebration so it also signified the consumption of copious amounts of liquor and making poor life choices. There was a reason most air bender babies had been born 9 months after the Day of the East Wind.

It was a month away.

Somehow, by some miracle, they'd created the most wonderful festival. Well Aang had done most of the organizing. But it had still been a team effort. The first East Wind Day would always be remembered as being one of the most spectacular celebrations in recent fire nation History. Aang was right, the Fire Nation did love their festivals and fireworks were awesome. And okay so maybe at this festival she and Zuko had gotten terrible drunk on Fire wine together they were Drunk to the point where everthing is funny, to the point where you drape your arms around the person and sing silly songs. Drunk to the point where you have ridiculously long "Deep and Meaningful" conversation. Katara had been expanding on how greater it would be to have a similar festival but for the water tribe. For friendship between the water tribe and the fire nation because… They were friends now weren't they, even after everything.

"bessh Friens?" Zuko had asked rather dopily.

"Bessh Friens." Katara confirmed.

"oh spirits, no more wine for these too!" Sokka Exclaimed.

Suddenly the 400 fireworks Zuko had ordered started to go off. Fire works in every shape and colour Katara had ever dreamed. Blue and pink crackled and dark green boomed and giant brilliant white flowers burst overhead. It was beautiful. The fire nation could be beautiful. It was like the southern lights back home, but shorter lived, louder and more intensely. She leaned her head on her new best friend's shoulder.

"Can there be blue fireworks for Water Tribe Day. I want lots and Lots of blue fireworks."

He smiled placidly at her.

"I promise."

Well promise, schromise katara thought. This was two years in a row he'd forgotten. He always sent her something wonderful for her birthday that's true. But all she really wanted was a sky full of blue fireworks. East Wind Day still happened each year. Last year's earth bending demonstrators had been particularly impressive. Maybe water tribe day wasn't practical. It had just been one of those drunken ideas. But that night had meant so much to Katara. It was the last time they were all together as a group. They had been fabulously happy together, their little unit, right after the end of the war. Before things got complicated. It was becoming apparent that Zuko wouldn't be coming with them on their next avatar mission. He would stay in the fire nation and get on with that whole business of running the country. Toph though she didn't say anything, really wanted to go home and see her parents. Suki missed Kyoshi so much Katara could nearly taste it. But in that one evening, they'd all been together and happy.

Oh Suki. Katara felt for the warrior. She'd come along with her and Sokka and Aang and Toph through all their various travels for two years now and hadn't been home for more than a few days here and there. Suki felt she was more useful to Sokka and the Avatar, trying to heal the world than she was back on her island. Aang felt the need to solve all the worlds problems almost as an act of penance for being gone so long. It surprised Katara, really, how much there was left to do. Winning the war hadn't been enough. There were still people who were suffering, villages in need and cities in need of rebuilding. And Aang wanted to help them all. She and Sokka stuck by him. It was what they did. It was who they were. Katara thought Suki stayed mostly for Sokka.

Toph had been back home, on one calamitous, disastrous trip. They'd left her in Gaoling with her parents and planned to come back for her in a month. She turned up three weeks later in the fire nation capital. Zuko had written to them and they'd gone and picked her up. She never really talked about it, except to say that she never wanted to go home again.

But poor Suki had been hanging out for this chance to go back home. The were temporarily free on Aang and duty and responsibility that went with travelling with the Avatar. And they had been stuck here for two months. Practically snowed in. Suki's face when Sokka told her they'd have to wait at least 2 extra months before they could get to Kyoshi had been heart breaking. Her face had looked like a new sheet of parchment that had been crumpled. Katara knew she couldn't just smooth those creases out with kind words and a hugs. Some disappointments stick. But Suki being the imminently practical sort of person she was had sighed and thrown her self into other tasks, teaching the children, training them, helping to gather resources in spite of the blizzard. She exhausted herself for their tribe so that she didn't have to think about her own. Sokka had been trying to design a boat that could make it through the treacherous icy currents. And then what Katara thought somewhat disloyally? Sokka was an ideas guy, the mechanist was the builder who made those ideas into reality and he was all the way back at the northern air temple.

Being trapped at home made Katara realize how much her world had expanded in the four years since she'd left. She'd seen and experienced so much that now after two months, the south pole seemed stifling. Rather than offering the comfort of the familiar, it had gone and changed without her. It had become bigger and better populated and didn't need her and Sokka to lead it anymore. And she'd changed without it, she was older and more jaded and her battle scars were so much deeper than those she got mucking about with Sokka when they were kids. The South Pole would always be her first home. But now Katara doubted if it would be her last. Her home now was a shifting one. It was wherever the people she loved best were and right now they were scattered. That's why when Sokka snuck in to announce that he had succeeded in building a boat that could be powered by one bender and make it through the rapids to Kyoshi, she leapt for joy and started packing right away.


	4. Toph, In the fire nation

Sounds of Zuko and Aang sparing echoed in from the courtyard and she half wanted to go out there and yell at them to shut up! It was really distracting. Bloody hell, they did this every morning! What if somebody wanted a nice sleep in? just because his dorkiness got up at sunrise didn't mean everybody else did! Just because twinkletoes was having _issues _with sweetness didn't mean he should make everybody else suffer for it. After arriving and all the usual shennagins that went on, getting settle in rooms, unpacking, making a mess in Toph's case, Aang had, rather uncharacteristically, asked Zuko for some sparing practice. They'd all been surprised, but Zuko had agreed and now every friggin morning they woke her up. Aang was possibly the _least _confrontational person she knew and if somehow chucking fire at Zuko made him feel better, then fine she'd put up with it. He used to go splash around with Katara when he was feeling out of sorts but now that option was _way _out. When they first got here She and Aang had worked on his earthbending, but Zuko had asked them to stop after they'd destroyed some part of the east wing for the fifth time. Whatever nobody was using the east wing anyway. That conversation had been memorable.

"I don't understand Toph, his earthbending is fine. The east wing is not"

" Hey listen sunshine, I'm not going to take this from you!"

"sunshine?"

"yeah, I'm experimenting."

"well it's an improvement on your dorkiness I guess. "

"Nah, nothing will ever replace your dorkiness, your dorkiness."

Zuko made a decidedly undignified snorty nosie.

"Hey don't be like that. Sparing practice is helping him with his feelings and all that. Didn't you think it was odd that he suddenly wants to chuck fire at you all the time."

"Well yeah that was weird, but I just thought he wanted to improve. There's a lot more to fire bending than just "chucking fire. It's really technically complex."

"…..anyway. If he's not throwing rocks at me, he's going to be chucking fire at your or even worse, wanting to talk about his feelings." Toph could feel Zuko blanch at the prospect of a conversation about feelings.

"What happened anyway, what's brought all this on?" Zuko asked.

"where's Aang?" Toph didn't want to be caught gossiping.

"Um rescuing baby turtleducks? Saving the wild rabbiroos? Something like that."

"Glad you were paying attention your dorkiness. Look I don't know exactly what happened but it started out like this….." Though Zuko would deny it until the ends of the earth, he was a terrible gossip. All firenation people were as far as Toph was concerned. Maybe it came out of years of political backstabbings and intrigues and scandals, you had to know what was going on with other people here. Toph told her tale about Sokka and Suki wanting to go home and how lame the south pole was…

"it's like the worst place I've ever been in my life, Friggin snow everywhere."

"Is it like the north pole?"

"Never been to the north pole and never want to. Anywhere with 'pole' in the name is going to suck."

"I hated the north pole too. Never been more cold in my life. Why does anybody even try to live there."

Then she got onto the subject of Katara and Aang and the plain old weirdness that had sprung up between them and made things awkward for everybody. Toph had been trying to ignore it, but it was like trying to ignore the giant platypus bear in the room. Toph had no proof, only theories as to what had happened between the two. Twinkletoes was a good kid. He was remarkably able to shake things off and be chipper. Toph thought that if they could just help him through this weird stage, everything would be better. He'd gone through a lot of changes recently, His voice had broken, he'd had his growth spurt, and he'd been a bit more sad than usual about being the last of his kind. People with regular vision couldn't see because he acted so happy all the time. But Toph saw on a deeper level and she knew how deep that sadness went. The last thing he need was Sunshine bitching about his palace being wrecked.

"Look he's a little out of sorts, so why don't we just give him what he wants for the time being until he sorts himself out. In your case that's throwing fire at him every morning, in my case that's periodically destroying parts of the palace with earth bending… " There was a brief pause and she thought that Zuko was going to argue with her, so she added " Unless you prefer to talk it out with him." HA! That got him! Zuko would prefer to fight an Agni Kai against Azula again than "talk it out." Talking it out wasn't Zuko's style.

They'd come to an agreement that Toph could earth bend until her hearts content as long as she did it away from the east wing. It had been where the old family rooms had been and Zuko wanted to keep them intact. Why, toph didn't want to know. Who'd want to remember what it was like growing up in _that _family.

The days fell into a routine. She tried to sleep in while Aang and Zuko sparred, played pai sho with Iroh, had a big lunch with Iroh, Earthbended with Aang, found some firenation person who was being an idiot to torment, or occasionally she went to the prison at threw pebbles at former firelord Ozai until he went berserk, then they had dinner all together and after dinner she played pai sho with Iroh again and went to sleep.

Sunday was a good day because Zuko went to visit Azula every Sunday. Azula was on an island three hours away so Zuko always left pretty early and she could sleep in as long as she pleased. She could tell whether it had been a "good" day or a "bad" day by how Zuko walked when he came back. Aang, who was determined to help everyone and everything and heal the world and all that jazz had offered to go with him a few times and "avatar her better" but Zuko had nixed that idea pretty quickly by reminding Aang about what Azula had been like when she was better.

Aang seemed determined to keep busy. So far he had helped 8 feuding families heal their differences, saved 7 rabbiroos and 5 kids from a bushfire, 4 villages from a different bushfire, 3 families from poverty, 2 ships from sinking and 1 mother turtleduck give birth.

Today's mission was of an entirely different kind. It was a birthday mission. Toph's birthday to be precise. Aang's present to her had been of the unusual kind. He'd taken Zuko, Iroh and her to a Petting Zoo to 'Celebrate Toph and help us all relax'.

It had been a day of mixed success. Zuko hated petting zoos and spent most of the day tapping his foot with impatience. He was super stressed with all the firenationy politics going on. Toph wasn't sure what was happening. She didn't really listen. Whenever he and Iroh talked about it, all she heard was "blah blah, firenationy politics, blah".

Iroh fancied the lady who ran the petting zoo and spent the day chatting her up. He met with a great deal of success, much to everybody else's dismay.

Toph secretly loved it. She would never admit out loud to liking something so lame, but she loved the feel of the fluffy animals beneath her fingers. She didn't even know what she was holding half the time but she just loved cuddling their small soft bodies. So in that respect, it wasn't the worst present she's ever gotten.

At one point in the day, Iroh had absconded with his new lady friend and left the three of them with baby bunnypuppies. Toph had named hers 'Captain fluffymuffykins', because her bunnypuppy obviously had leadership instincts. Aang had named his 'Gyasto', after monk Gyasto. Zuko had named his 'bunnypuppy' because he had no imagination.

"See I knew this was a good idea. Are you having a good birthday Toph? Isn't this relaxing? Isn't it nice to bond with another living thing?" Aang said enthusiastically.

"it's cool, I guess." Toph didn't want to give too much away.

"yeah, it's nice." Zuko deadpanned as he held bunnypuppy out at arms length. Bunnypuppy responded by trying to scratch at his hand and bite him. Zuko and bunnypuppy hadn't bonded like Toph and Captain Fluffymuffykins had. Captain fluffymuffykins understood her. She didn't judge.

"I'm glad. We've all needed a nice break after you know…everything."

There was a moment's pause.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Zuko ventured bravely.

"No, I'm fine. Animals always cheer me up." Aang said brightly.

"Here! Have another bunnypuppy." Zuko said quick as lightning as he thrust his slightly disgruntled bunny puppy at Aang. Aang gathered up the disgruntled bunnypuppy into his arms where it promptly abandoned all violent tendencies and snuggled down nicely. Toph reluctantly held Captain fluffymuffykins out as well.

"Look guys, I'm fine. I know I've been acting a little odd lately but really I'm fine. And everything's fine so don't worry about me. Besides it's Toph's day."

"Fine. I'm keeping Captain fluffymuffykins then." Toph said as she promptly cuddled the captain again.

…

Later that night, Zuko and Iroh threw a huge banquet dinner for her, which included all her favourite foods. Iroh played her some of her favourite songs on the tsungi horn. Zuko gave her a hand crafted specially made pai sho set that had raised and carved characters. Regular Pai sho tiles were smooth all over and Toph had so much trouble learning the game and had to rely on Iroh's descriptions of the tiles (which she sometimes felt were a bit shaky.) she picked up a tile a random. The flower, with its oddly shaped petals, felt like an orchid. This must be the purple orchid tile Iroh was talking about. She ran her fingers over the other tiles. Now she'd really give Iroh a run or him money! Maybe she'd go bother him to play a game with her. She didn't really know anybody else here, even though it was her own party (a bunch of probably lame, fire nation officials had shown up.) She wished the other guys could've been here. They hadn't heard anything from them since a severe blizzard had settled over the South Pole. The only other person she knew at this party was that gloomy chick Zuko used to date. What was her name?

She wasn't bad. She was sarcastic, which Toph appreciated in people, she was good a throwing things, another thing Toph liked. But she complained about being bored the whole time, which drove Toph crazy. Mai! That was her name. They had never really hung out. Not even when Toph had run away from Gaoling for the second time and ended up in the fire nation.

The others had dropped her off because they thought it would be good for her to see her parents again. Whatever. Toph didn't want to think about that. She'd left after a week. She didn't know where the others were or how to get in contact with them, so she'd come here. Zuko took her in, no questions asked. She'd probably always love him a little bit, just for that. Mai had been round all the time then. And then suddenly she wasn't. They still must be a bit friendly though if Zuko had invited her. They had been talking earlier, there had been lot's of gestures, but now she was deep in conversation with Aang. What could Aang have to say to Mai, duchess big black gloomy cloud herself. Toph could feel them stand. Aang gave the older girl a hug and she stiffened. She obviously wasn't a hugger.

"Oi, I'm fire nation kid, I only show affection to Bunnypuppies and Mongooselizards." She heard Mai say as she tried to disentangle herself from Aang's hug.

"Thank you Mai. You really helped." Aang mumbled into what Toph suspected was Mai's cleavage.

"Get a hold of yourself kid. No more fire wine for you." Mai said as she gave him an awkward pat on the back.

"Aaaaaaww" aang complained, letting her go.

"No really trust me, you're already at the inappropriate, over-friendly cuddling stage. Any more and you'll be at the over the top dancing, karaoke, and losing you shoes stage. Nobody wants that!"

"fair point."  
…


	5. conversations with Mai

Mai liked her job. No she _loved _it. 'Informant' was a nice euphemism for what Mai did. She found things out, things for Zuko mostly. Something in her grumpy bored disposition made people want to _tell _her things. She didn't often have to use her daggers but she wasn't opposed to bringing them out when necessary. Since becoming Firelord, Zuko had made a lot of changes and consequently he'd made a lot of people very unhappy. This meant he'd made a lot of enemies, even more than he'd had previously. One of Mai's many jobs was to find out what was going on in the minds of these enemies, could they be swayed, bought, bribed or blackmailed or if they were going to become a _problem._ Mai was good a solving problems.

Some problems are easy. There'd been a General who disapproved of Zuko, to put it mildly. He wanted Azula for Firelord and was planning a coup. The simple, bloodless solution was coercing this general to actually _visit _Azula (on a bad day, Mai had made sure it was a bad day) had solved this particular problem. He'd spent less than 30 seconds with that raving lunatic before abandoning his plans. Zuko had found out. He'd been furious that she had been parading Azula around like a freakshow, just to win what he thought was some petty political point. Mai had been expecting 'thank you.' That's not too much to ask, is it.

Some problems were much harder. The problem of talking some sense into Zuko when he got all melodramatic was impossible. Mai didn't know how Iroh did it. She suspected there was something in that tea. Mai loved her job for the most part. It was only in moments like these that she hated it.

"You really think we should maintain military presence there? I've seen what fire nation troops do to earth kingdom villages." Zuko exclaimed, looking at her with disbelief.

"Well they're not just the earth kingdom anymore." Mai explained in a dry monotone.

"Well, they're not 100% fire nation either. I know the men have families there, and I know it's been mixed nationality for 80 years and I don't want to disrupt those soldiers lives. But it just doesn't feel right to maintain such a huge military presence there. That many soldiers would make anyone nervous. I don't blame the Earth King for asking us to withdraw."

Zuko was in a tight spot. They'd re-established diplomatic relations with the earth king and one of his first requests was the removal of all fire nation troops from the earth kingdom. This was proving more complicated than Zuko initially thought. It wasn't a simple task, demilitarizing a place like the fire nation colonies. Zuko thought for a bit. Mai sighed and looked out the window. She was bored of this already.

"We pulled all the troops out of Omashu or Ba Sing Se easily enough. Maybe we could just return all the troops who want to come home. Then the men with families there, who wish to stay in the earth kingdom, can." Zuko suggested.

Gah! He had no head for this at all. He was always worried about how it would make people feel, instead of how it looked! A namby pamby, everybody-do-what-you-want-policy would make him look like a weak Firelord who couldn't control the military and that would make _problems _for Mai.

"And how will that look to everybody else? That kind of system, letting everybody do what they want, breeds anarchy. And you don't need anarchy right now sunshine." The blind girl had a habit of calling Zuko sunshine, when she wanted to make a point and Mai used it now to full effect. Bollocks to this. She had a sexy yu yan archer at home, just waiting to order a fruit tart with her. Zuko could negotiate until he was blue in the face with the earth king. She'd said her piece. It was time to go.

"Look you asked for my report and my recommendations and I've given them to you. I'm bored of this conversation now." Mai said as she stalked off. Zuko was really lucky she still retained so much affection for him, even after everything.

They would've never worked together. She had always known this really. Zuko cared about everything too much. Mai didn't care about anything that much. They were different on such fundamental levels. It had actually been Azula who pointed it out. Zuko visited her every week, maybe because he was a masochist, maybe because he wanted to lord it over her. No, neither of those were the real reasons. Azula was still his baby sister, and he still loved her, even after everything.

While they'd been going out, Zuko had tried repeatedly to get Mai to go visit her. Mai was busy! She was _in_disposed. She had a million things she'd rather do that visit miss crazy-pants-lightening-bolts. Zuko wouldn't let it drop. She'd really like to see you. She's getting better. She was almost normal today. You were her friend, Zuko would say, as if this explained everything. No, I was her subordinate. There's a difference. They weren't friends like he was friends with the avatar's gang.

Eventually Mai caved and went out to Ember island. There was a small facility. It was on the other side of the island to the royal residence, But Zuko thought the familiar surroundings would comfort Azula. It was a nice hospital (even though nobody called in a hospital). Azula had her own room, with her own things and a nice window view. She was watched 24/7 and had chi blocking bracelets and anklets so she couldn't bend, but otherwise she was left to her own devices.

"So do you still love Zuko more than you fear me?" Azula asked conversationally, her eyes only slightly unsettled.

"Yes" Mai answered, and it had been true then.

Then Azula started to laugh. It was a deep but not entirely unpleasant belly laugh. Her eyes took on a mad glaze.

"what's so funny?"

"Oh Mai, you were just part of the stage where he was trying to be the perfect prince to please daddykins. A noble firenation girlfriend just completed the look." She laughed again, but softer, more chuckling to herself.

"you're wrong." Mai said simply.

"Am I, dearest Mai? He grew out of that stage. How long before he outgrows you? How long before he writes you another letter?"

"He wouldn't." Mai said, trying to sound calm, but Azula unsettled her. She had a knack for unsettling people. It was her gift. She just knew how to push your buttons. Manipulations were a habit for her. Some people bite their fingernails. Azula messed with people.

"Dear Mai. I'm sorry to be writing you _another _letter like this…."Azula started laughing uncontrollably, as though she had just made the funniest joke ever. "But I felt this was the best way to tell you. I know you probably wont understand…" at this she started almost crying with laughter and making little snorty noises. Mai got up abruptly and strode to the door. She wasn't staying for this.

She saw Zuko waiting for her down the hall.

"How did it go?" Zuko asked hopefully.

"She's crazy."

Mai didn't go visit Azula again. When she sent that general in to see her, she'd waited in the Teashop, drinking Jasmine tea after Jasmine tea. Iroh was right. It was calming.

….

They'd broken up two weeks later. Mostly amicably. They'd both known it was coming. Mai told herself Azula had nothing to do with her decision. It was her decision this time. She wasn't going to have to same boy dump her _twice. _ He asked her to stay on as his informant.

"Won't it be weird? Now that we're not together?"

"Maybe, but you're the only other person in the firenation aside from my uncle who I trust to tell me the truth."

They had always been better at being friends than they were at being lovers. Mai took up with a Yu Yan archer. He was sweet, sexy and uncomplicated. She'd found someone who worshipped her and worship was good. Zuko would find someone too, someone who liked him for his fire and his compassion. Zuko threw himself into trying to fix the nation, relying on Iroh's gentle guidance and her tough love. She knew he was lonely without the rest of the Avatar's gang. The water tribe siblings wrote to him all the time, but it wasn't the same. Especially as most of his missives were about discouraging them from calling him 'your dorkiness'. He'd been downright chipper when that blind girl had randomly shown up one day a few months back. And 2 weeks ago, when there had been a flurry of messenger hawks he'd actually _smiled._ Like four times. Even though most of the Avatar's gang annoyed her no end, she could learn to tolerate them, if only for that smile.

…

The avatar was gloomy. Well gloomy for him, which probably meant he only said "gee whizz" instead on "whizz bang". Relationship problems with the waterbender girl apparently. She knew this because the blind girl had told Zuko, who had told Iroh, who had told her. She had asked Zuko about it the next time she saw him. Was the avatar really unhappy? It was hard to tell with that kid.

"Yeah, apparently so. Toph says we have to keep him busy or he'll want to talk about feelings and crap like that."

Mai had, in her brief relationship with Zuko, been on the receiving end of his attempts to talk about "feelings and crap like that." Mai wasn't into talking about feelings and crap. Feelings and Mai didn't go well together. Invariably whenever somebody wanted to talk about their feelings you had to _pretend that you cared_ and that's just not what Mai was into.

But Zuko was, hands down, even worse at talking about feelings than Mai. If they had a competition about who could be the least communicative about how they really felt, Zuko would get a large, large trophy. Not only was he as adverse to these conversations as Mai was, he was hopelessly ineloquent when it came to talking about feelings and was blessed with the limitless ability of put his foot in his mouth, mix his metaphors and miss the point.

Zuko just couldn't pick up what she thought were simple hints. It didn't matter how many hints she dropped him, he was perpetually like hint-Teflon, nothing stuck. Sometimes she imagined him standing in a field, strewn with hints lying hopelessly at his feet, just waiting to be noticed. Zuko had tried to talk about "feelings" with the avatar, one day when they were sparring. It didn't go very well. So when the bald boy shouted at Zuko "you just don't get it, do you!" she knew the feeling all to well.

She wanted to have a fire wine with him in solidarity. So when she saw him on his own, for a brief minute, at the blind girl's birthday party that's exactly what she did. Really someone just needed to tell the kid to suck it up. Relationships are hard. Sometimes they don't work. Get over it. She felt a conversation like this would be eminently more helpful to baldy that Zuko talking about silver sandwiches or the blind chick throwing rocks at him.

"Hey kid." She said coming up behind him.

"Aaah, hi …..Mai!" there was a long pause while the bald kid obviously wracked his brains for her name. He looked vaguely startled at being addressed so directly by her. They hadn't every really talked much.

"Let's you and me have a talk." The kid looked dubious.

"Come on, I'll buy you a drink." Mai offered neutrally. That got a reaction out of the kid.

"everything's free though" he said looking confused.

"well I'll get you a drink then." She said feeling irritated. Why did she even care? Iroh and Zuko were rubbing off on her and it sucked. The kid acquiesced and a short time later they were sitting on the palace balcony stairs a bottle of fire wine between them. She thought it might help the kid loosen up.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" the kid asked as he took a sip and made a face.

"The problems you've been having with the waterbending girl." Mai said simply.

The kid spat all his wine out in a surprised burst. Really he couldn't have looked more surprised if she'd slapped him in the face with a kipper. Nobody every expected kipper in the face!

"You know about that? How do you know about that!"

"Everybody knows about that." The kid made a face that was a priceless mix of sheer mortification and surprise.

"Maybe not everyb…."she tried for a reassuring tone, but found lying to the kid wasn't her style…

"Yeah. Everybody knows."

"Oh bloody hell." The kid said and earthbended himself into the ground.

"Hey kid! Are you okay in there?" she said to the patch of ground he'd disappeared under.

"I'm waiting for the earth to swallow me whole." The muffled answer came from the ground.

"Okay then, you do that." She said and waited patiently. After thirty seconds he came back up.

"Fire wine?" Mai offered. He'd grabbed the cup and took three quick gulps.

"Whoa, steady there kid." Mai offered.

"This is the most embarrassed I've ever been in my whole life." The kid said dejectedly.

"Well if it's any consolation, this is miles less embarrassing than the most embarrassed Zuko's ever been in his life." Mai said in what she hoped was a comforting tone. "I don't see what the big deal is. It's only sex." She added helpfully.

The kid's eye bulged out of his face. And he looked at her like she'd grown a second head.

" It's not only…_that._" The kid finished lamely, blushing a furious red. Couldn't even say sex, what business did he had engaging in it.

"What is it then?" Mai asked.

"She won't even talk to me now. And it's just so weird between us and I just want to go back to before _it _ever happened and make sure _it_ never happens."

"It was that bad huh?" Mai did her upmost to keep all the sarcasm out of her voice.

"I dunno, It's the only time I've ever done…_it_." The kid was so red now he blended in perfectly with his firenation ensemble.

"Was it her first time too?"

"yes"

"ooooch" Mai sucked air in through her teeth and made a face.

"What's that supposed to mean!"

"The first time is always a bit weird and awkward for any one but it's even more weird and awkward if it's with the wrong person."

"You think we're the wrong people to do _that_ together."

"You tell me. It sounds like it didn't go very well."

"well, I dunno, I thought we were, you know, _right._ For each other. I really love her. But now I don't know. I don't if she saw me that way." The kid took a few more big gulps. He paused for a second and thought. Then he said " She didn't love me the way I loved her. I think she didn't want to hurt my feelings by saying no. " This sad little admission caused the avatar to hang his head. Mai had been in his position. Boy had she ever. God she couldn't believe she was going to_ tell_ the kid this. She'd never talked to anyone about this. She took a big sip of wine.

"Zuko never loved me the way I loved him. He didn't want to hurt my feelings either. But then he did. In a big way. I got over it. You'll get over this too."

"You don't think she'll ever love me the way I love her?"

"I think if she did, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

They both took a steady sip from their cups. The avatar look off deep in thought.

"I just want us to go back to being friends again."

"That'll happen in time I'm sure. Two people can love each other and still not be right for each other. It doesn't mean they can't be friends again. You'll just have to give her time." Mai said as she got up to go. She had gotten the kid to talk about it. Offered what she hoped was good advice. Her duty was done. The kid got up too and wrapped his arms around her tighter than a lizardsnake.

"Oi, I'm fire nation kid, I only show affection to Bunnypuppies and Mongooselizards." Mai said as she tried to extricate herself from this determined hugger. Mai didn't do hugs.

"Thank you Mai. You really helped." The kid mumbled into her boobs. Oh for goodness sake! Does no good deed go unpunished?

"Get a hold of yourself kid. No more fire wine for you." Mai said. She was beginning to suspect the kid was a two pot screamer. Any more and he'd be dancing and singing and absconding on ill conceived drunken adventures and losing his shoes. She saw the blind girl gapping at them. She walked over to her with the kid in toe. She pushed him gently towards his friend and he flopped on her a little unceremoniously. Mai felt a bit bad because it was the girl's birthday. But she was not drunk sitting the kid.

"Make sure he has a big glass of water before he goes to bed." She said to the blind girl as she swaned off.


	6. Suki's home

Suki sat with Katara as they watched the training Kyoshi Warriors go through their exercises. Suki would occasionally call out encouragement and advice if she saw one of the girls faltering. This new intake had been even bigger than last year. Everybody wanted to be a hero now that the Avatar had already saved the world and the old Firelord had been defeated. There was so much reconstruction work to do and there would be many jobs for these young girls once they had completed their training. Suki liked watching them. It was a visual reminder that she was really home. When Sokka's boat landed she could've kissed the ground in joy. Sokka had been so proud of his invention to get them through the ice flows. Katara had been less impressed because it had meant a grueling 16 hours of non-stop waterbending for her. She'd lain exhausted afterwards, grumbling at Sokka whenever she saw him that his invention sucked!

Suki threw herself into island life again. Oh how she'd missed home. How she missed her warriors. They'd been family to her for such a long time. The Avatar's travels had meant that she'd only come home a handful of the times in the past three years. Each time was only for a few days. She loved travelling with the Avatar and feeling like she was really making a difference. She loved Sokka. She loved Katara like a sister. She had a huge affection for the others. They'd become like a second family to her. But that didn't mean that she didn't get homesick.

She and Sokka were 18 and they had been together for three year and they had both started talking about the FUTURE . Now that she'd been trapped for two months in that icy hellhole Sokka and Katara called home she knew with absolute certainty that she could never live in the southpole. It didn't mean that they couldn't visit, just that Suki had no desire to spend 12 months out of the year in a place that rarely went above freezing. Sokka liked his home but didn't seem in a hurry to relocate back there permanently. His dad was a great tribal leader. They had a great relationship, but it would be hard for Sokka to go back and play second fiddle after having so much freedom and independence. He was happy to keep travelling with Aang forever. Suki loved travelling with Aang but she wasn't sure if she could do it for the rest of her life. Suki's feet were rooted fast to the earth. She liked the comfort and familiarity of her Kyoshi home. Maybe she just wasn't cut out for the nomadic lifestyle.

She saw Sokka's biggest fan and Zuko's dippy friend flip gracefully through her exercises. _Show off_ Suki thought darkly. For some reason the girl just rubbed her the wrong way. Suki knew that it was irrational and silly to dislike the girl for the way she always threw herself at Sokka. Sokka had made it very clear that he only had eyes for Suki and had gently rebuffed all her dippy attempts to flirt. She was just so perky! Always going on about auras and it drove Suki up the wall. The fact that she'd been one of the three girls who had captured and subjected her to being locked up in the boiling rock hadn't help. Suki took a deep breath. She was a leader, she was the bigger person. She was really trying not to judge the girl too harshly. If she could bury the hatchet with Zuko, she could learn to tolerate Ty Lee. Maybe even like her. The girl was a fabulous fighter. Suki respect her for that. The exercises had moved onto sparring practice. Ty Lee chi blocked her nearest opponent and won her match easily.

"It's amazing. That chi blocking thing she does. I've always wanted to talk to her about it. Find out how she does it." Katara remarked.

"Well, you could ask her now." Suki said. It was a remarkable skill for such an airhead. She looked sideways out of the corner of her eye at Katara and wondered how she was going to bring the topic up. She and Sokka had talked and they'd decided it was much better if Suki talked to her about anything boy related. The mere thought of talking about anything boy related with Katara, beyond offering to beat said boy up if they messed with her, filled Sokka with a deep panic. Suki was to find out the source of the recent weirdness between Katara and Aang. They'd both been worried to see their little family unit so at odds with each other. Suki smiled as a burst of Sokka's laughter came from the building behind them. He and Zuko had been writing to each other since they landed two days ago. Catching up on two months worth of gossip, which they called exchanging tactical information.

"Even on paper, they get along like a house on fire." Suki remarked over Sokka's laughter. "Geddit. House on fire?" Hardy har har. She'd made a pun. Katara stared at her in amazement for a second.

"You have been going out with my brother too long. His lame jokes are contagious." Katara said back.

"We could ask him to ask Zuko about Aang." She stated simply, trying to find an opening for the conversation she really wanted to have with the young waterbender.

"No, that's okay." She said quickly. This was so uncharacteristic for Katara, who usually wanted to know everybody's business.

"Did you want to talk about it?" she asked quietly. She chosen this day, this time because it was the first time she and Katara had been able to be alone in ages. Everyone else was busy training and nobody would overhear them or bother them. She knew that Katara wouldn't like anyone to overhear what Suki suspected she had to say. Katara looked better and less exhausted today. Maybe she'd open up.

"There's nothing to talk about." Boo. Oh well, Suki hadn't been a leader of a group of teenage girl fighters for nothing. She knew it was a better tactic to offer a willing ear and then let them come to you. Forcing the issue never worked. She'd heard girl problems from nearly all her recruits at one point or another. And knew it was a subject to be treated with the upmost delicacy.

"I think there is sweetie. If you do want to talk, I'll be here." She said. They sat in silence for a while. A companionable silence. Katara looked like she was debating within herself. She took a breath and gestured Suki closer. "I just want to pretend it didn't happen. " Katara started quietly. Suki listened and made the right noises and promised Katara she'd never tell a soul.

It wasn't an uncommon story. A boy wanted something more. A girl was unsure and went along with it. "He really wanted to move our relationship forward and I… I mean he's the avatar and he wanted me. I felt like it would be so horrible to say no. I'd hurt his feelings and I never wanted to do that." Katara was so generous with her love and with herself that she hadn't drawn clear boundaries for herself, that much was evident. She'd thought she could make herself love Aang the way he loved her. "I thought it was something I could learn. If I just tried hard enough… and it was only _during _that I realize what a horrible mistake I had made. I do love him, but like as friend or a brother." As Katara told her story she began to blush furiously. Suki put an arm around her and listened to everything she had to say. Katara, who was so used to mothering people, was not an easy person to take care of. She didn't like to show emotional vulnerability. But she told Suki all about what the older girl had long assumed. "Afterwards I didn't even want to look at him or talk to him and I know it worried everybody." Katara just wanted to make everybody happy and pretend everything was fine. But you can't pretend forever.

Suki had been a willing ear and a shoulder to cry on for so many of her warrior girls. She'd never really known the boy involved. She couldn't help thinking how strange it felt to know both parties involved very well. They watched the girls spar together. Katara seemed calmer. It was good for Katara to talk about it. To let it out. Suki was sure that bottling up all those feelings did no good for anyone. Katara leant her head on Suki's shoulder. Suki leant her head to rest on top of Katara's affectionately.

"Thanks for listening Suki." Katara said.

"Anytime."

They watched a bit longer. Now only Tylee and three other girls Suki didn't recognize were in the ring. She'd been away from home too long. She'd used to know everyone by name. Suddenly, Katara gasped and her eyes bugged out of her head as she stared at TyLee. The girl had just leapt a good eight feet in the air over all her other opponents to land behind them gracefully.

"What? What is it?"

"TyLee is an airbender." Katara said, her eyes wide with shock.

0o0o0o0o0o

"I don't know why I never noticed it before…I was concentrating so much on_ fighting_ her that I didn't notice what she was actually _doing_. It's so obvious now" Katara said later that night after dinner. The three of them were sitting on the floor of the room Suki and Sokka shared. They had to wait until everyone else had gone to bed before they'd had an opportunity to talk.

"How can you be so sure?" Sokka asked a little incredulously. "I mean she's always been able to jump high and be all swishy-swishy-poke!" he did a complicated little dance to illustrate what he meant by swishy-swishy-poke.

"I've sort of been able to tell between benders and non-benders for a while now….I'm only just learning to differentiate between the bending. So I'm not completely sure."

"What do you mean you can tell?" Sokka asked incredulously.

"I think it's in the blood, in the way their bodies move. It's hard to explain. Since Hama taught me…bloodbending, I can feel bending in others."

Katara paused. They never talked about Hama and bloodbending, and she didn't know how to explain. She wasn't doing in on purpose. Maybe it was like how Toph could feel if someone was lying. She'd have to ask Toph about it when she saw her again. Toph with her forcefulness had been the first bender she'd ever _felt._ Zuko, with his passionate nature had been the second. She didn't have words for what she felt from Toph's steady stable rumble, Zuko's vibrant energy, and the gentle pull-push of other water benders. That sort of carefree breeziness she'd felt from Ty Lee this afternoon she had only ever previously felt from Aang.

"Do you think she knows? What she is? What she could be?" Suki asked quietly.

"No, I don't think so." Katara said. It was accidentally, untrained bending she had felt. Maybe Ty Lee had been doing it her entire life and never thought anything of it. Maybe she's always been able to jump higher than the other kids and been thoroughly fearless when it came to heights.

"Should we tell her?" Suki asked again. "This is life changing news."

"I don't think we should until we are absolutely sure." Sokka said cautiously. "We don't want to freak her out unnecessarily."

"Wouldn't she have to have airbending relatives?" Katara asked.

"I don't know. They say bending can resurface any number of generations down the track. There could be air-benders far back in her family tree. The world wasn't always at war." Sokka said.

"We could ask her then. If she had any." Suki suggested. "Though she might not know. You probably didn't brag about airbending long lost relatives, growing up in the firenation, and all."

"We could ask Zuko to check the noble family genealogy archives." Sokka suggested.

"They have that?" Suki asked, a bit incredulously.

"Sokka, no! It's 3am there. Don't wake him up now." Katara admonished.

"Trust me. He'll wake up for this." Sokka said as he called Hawky over and got out some paper.

O0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Wake up prince sleepy head!

Huge news. Ty Lee might be an airbender.

What do you think?

Please tick:

[] yes!

[] oh noes!

[]maybe?

[] What the hell?

Cheers,

Sokka

…..

Sokka

What the hell?

Really?

Are you sure!

Should I tell Aang?

Sincerely,

Zuko.

P.S. It's 3 in the morning here dude. Couldn't this have waited 3 hours? If you're messing with me I'll be so mad. I was having an awesome dream!

….

Zuko,

Hi, Katara here. We don't mean to wake you up. Sorry about that. Sorry Sokka's note was so rude too. You know how he is. I thought we should have waited till morning. I'm not one hundred percent sure, but I think I felt airbending from Ty Lee today. Before we go any further with this and tell people and freak them out etc, We were wondering if you could check that noble family genealogy archive thing and see if she had any airbenders in her past that this could've come from. You can wait till morning to do this if you want to go back to sleep. I'm just so full of anticipation; I just feel like the sooner we know for sure the better.

I wouldn't tell Aang until we're sure. Don't want to get his hopes up prematurely.

Xoxox

Katara

P.S. what were you dreaming about?

…

Katara

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound grumpy. I don't mind being woken up for this. I'll go check the archives but it might take me a while to find/ go through Ty Lee's file. Her family is huge! I'll write more when I've found it. What do you mean by 'feeling' bending?

Sincerely

Zuko.

P.S. Just a nice dream. Don't worry about it.

….

There was a long pause between letters. Zuko tried to go into blue spirit mode and sneak into the archives and out again in a flash. Unfortunately he was pretty tired and managed to knock 3 huge stacks of files over. They fell like dominos and created the most tremendous noise, which woke the mangy archivist's cat, which then got under Zuko's feet and caused him to trip over. He lay on the floor and swore for a bit. He was an idiot. What was he doing even up at 4 am searching through genealogy files.

_For Katara,_ a little annoying voice in his head said. And it was true. If Sokka had written than second letter, he would've told him to bugger off and write to him again in the morning. Katara didn't often write to him but just passed messages along through Sokka. This was one of only five letters he'd ever gotten from her. He never could say no to her. That's why he was up at 4 am searching through dusty genealogy files, and why he was seriously considering 'Water Tribe Day' and why he remember countless other little things about her. Idiot. Zuko was used to wanting what he couldn't have and getting things done regardless. He found Ty Lee's file and went back to his room.

….

Katara, Sokka and Suki, if she's there.

Found Ty Lee's family's file. It only goes back 100 years to the start of the war because that's when they started archiving these records. But it's huge. Haven't read it thoroughly, probably won't be able to tomorrow either. So far the only possibility seems to be her maternal great grandfather Kuzon's wife, Rei Lee. She's a bit mysterious. She just pops up in the marriage entry but all the section about her family is blank. It says she's an orphan who came from the western shao colony. But that colony didn't exist under that name at the date that this was written. Her physical description records that she had grey eyes, which was common among Airbenders. The Marriage license is from the year of the final great purge. One of their 11 kids (11!) was an amazing trapeze artist. I don't know if this is helpful or conclusive, but it's a possibility.

Sincerely

Zuko,

….

Thank you Detective Dork!

That's actually kind of helpful. Go you! I knew you could do it. We really appreciate it. Katara's pretty convinced that Ty Lee's an Airbender now. But I think we need Aang to come and check it out for himself. You and Toph should come too because we haven't all hung out in ages. Also Suki says we need 'buffer' people to help assuage the awkwardness. Katara says she'll explain her touchy-feely-bending to you when you get here but she doesn't know how to explain it on paper. Whaddya say? Hop on the next flying bison Kyoshiwards and we'll see ya soon!

Cheers

Sokka

P.S. Do you think this Kuzon is the Aang's friend Kuzon that he's always talking about whenever the subject of the firenation comes up?

…..

Sokka

Never call me Detective Dork again, if you don't want to see my grumpy side. What are 'buffer' people? Are me and Toph buffer people? How did that happen? We'll come as soon as possible but it might take a couple of days to tie up loose ends here. It's much harder for me to just up and leave at the moment. But I'll try to be there by Tuesday. So I'm definitely telling Aang?

Re: Kuzon. God I hope not! It's been horrendous these past two months. I've heard more about Kuzon that I ever wanted to know. My friend Kuzon this….My friend Kuzon that. And he always starts off these lengthy anecdotes with 'you know my friend Kuzon…' yes Aang, yes I do. Even though he lived 100 years ago and came from a different province, all firenation people know eachother, don'tcha know?

See you all soon.

Sincerely

Zuko.

…..

Your Dorkiness

I see your grumpy side all the time! You and Toph are buffer people, but I think it's a good thing to be. Buffer people is a theory Suki has. Now that you've asked about it you are going to have it explained to you in minute detail. Word of advice: it's like surprise flower theory, just smile and nod and pretend you understand. So that's two girly explanation for you when you get here!

We thought we might see if Aang picks up on the airbending himself, or if not, we'll tell Aang as a group when you guys get here. So pretend you're going on an implusive surprise holiday.

Re: Kuzon. For all you know, you could've known Kuzon in a past life and been bffs! Aang's very into past lives. I could tell him my theory, then he'd want to tell you even more about YOUR friend Kuzon.

That's it for tonight. You can go back to sleep now.

See ya Tuesday.

Cheers

Sokka.

…..

Sokka

Well, I'm pretty grumpy now. Thanks to you! Will start operation surprise holiday today (OSH). I'll have to tell Toph because she can always tell when I'm lying. Will inform you of OSH''s progress later.

Re: Kuzon, I will spontaneously combust from frustration if you do this. You don't want to be responsible for my accidental combusting now do you?

How can I go back to sleep when some idiot woke me at 3 am! The sun's up now! I never sleep when the sun's up.

See you all on Tuesday.

Sincerely

Zuko.


	7. surpise holiday!

Aang could overhear Zuko and Toph whispering in Appa's saddle and gripped the reigns a little tighter with a niggle of suspicion. What were they playing at? Surprise spontaneous holiday, my arse! He knew it wasn't a surprise spontaneous holiday because Zuko had to do all sorts of firenationy political things and make up lame excuses and have long chats with Iroh over tea before he could leave. That really took the spontaneity out of the holiday. A few nights ago Zuko had woken him up really late, crashing round in the archives at 4am. The next morning he and Toph went "shopping". Just the two of them. Aang knew they weren't really shopping because they both _hated _shopping. They must've been hatching this suspicious surprise holiday plot. He and Toph had been acting weird ever since their plot hatching. Not bad weird, but definitely weirder than usual. Zuko had gone to visit Azula twice in two days. Toph had taken to speaking well, nicely to him, and asking him strange questions like if he was okay with being the last airbender and did he think they'd ever find any more airbenders. It was highly unusual for Toph to bring this subject up because she knew how much it upset Aang to think about it too much. Aang started to avoid her, something he never thought he'd do to Toph.

He started trying to hang out with Mai, but he got the feeling she was avoiding him. So it was a cycle of avoidance. He'd follow her round the palace, but gosh, she was quick. He'd found her a couple of times, but she was always busy doing work for Zuko. Aang knew this was a lie, because Zuko was busy arranging the "surprise" holiday. Twice she'd relented and had tea with him. Saying both times with a sigh "this is the only way to get rid of you isn't it?"

The first time she asked him to stop stalking her or she'd pin him to the column behind them and just leave and then he'd be stuck with no one to bother.

"I'm not trying to bother you, I just want your advice about what I'm doing wrong with Katara." He said. Ever since their chat at Toph's birthday, he regarded Mai as the paragon of good advice.

" What you're doing wrong? You're doing it now. You're too keen." Mai replied with frustration. Aang gave her a confused look and she threw her head back as if in a silent prayer for patience.

"Look you really wanted my advice kid. Play it cool with her. Don't get all up in her face." She said in what was an emphatic tone for Mai.

"Don't give too much of your feelings away. I never give any thing away to Gojin." She added a little more gently.

"Who's Gojin?" Aang asked.

"My YuYuan archer love slave. Who I have to meet now. Bye kid." She said as she swished past him. She had a love slave? Aang couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not. He liked talking to Mai even if she didn't like talking to him. He couldn't tell Zuko or Toph about what happened because they'd feel like they had to take sides and he didn't want that. Mai was the only one who he could talk to about this and she actually helped Aang. The second time he caught her, she had been a bit disgruntled. Aang had found her a cupboard. Being in a cupboard made anyone disgruntled Aang reasoned. She sat him down and lectured him about the virtue of giving people "friggin space" and how the waterchick would probably appreciate it if Aang stopped pursuing her and just chilled out. There was a lot about respect. Respect for the waterchick, respect for himself, respect for everybody. When she reached the end of her little speech she said in her usual deadpan tone. "That is it. That is all the advice I have for you kid. Will you please stop stalking me now." Aang agreed, but maintained that he had been following, not stalking. Mai made a very un-Mai-like noise of frustration. At this point Zuko and Toph returned from one of their "shopping trips" and announced they'd be leaving for Kyoshi Island tomorrow.

They'd pack up and left just after breakfast so that they could make it to Kyoshi in time for a late lunch. Sokka's hawky had caught up with them an hour ago with a simple note.

How close are you?

S

Zuko had tried to reply but it was really hard to write on the back of Appa in high winds and in the end Toph smudged all the ink anyway and Aang suspected that an ink fight had broken out behind him because when he next turned around both his passengers had ink everywhere. Aang was feeling mature and responsible and well above ink fights. He would play it cool. They sent back a rather smudgy reply that said S0oN in rather misshapen letters.

He was excited to see the others and nervous to see the others and it had mixed his guts up into excited nervous soup and his two passengers with their whispering and their glances were not helping the nervous soup situation. He was so nervous to see Katara. Oh god, maybe it would just be better to earthbend himself into the ground and wait. He'd have to face her eventually, but right now he found the prospect more frightening than facing firelord Ozai again. What if Katara hated him? Or if she never spoke to him again? Or a million other terrible possibilities ran through his head. He'd stick to his plan. What Mai said. Just take her aside and tell her he would back off and he respected her. Respect respect respect. Respect for everyone.

Kyoshi Island appeared in the distance, just as the east wind blew gently in his face. The wind always comforted Aang and he felt his heart leap suddenly. The east wind was for things beginning.

0o0o0o0o0

Appa landed to a huge cheering crowd. Foaming mouth guy was there. All his girly fans were there. _See Katara, some people actually want to sleep with me._ Oh no. that thought wasn't respectful at all. He pushed it way violently. Then he saw them standing a little way off. The three people who completed this little family. Sokka was waving energetically while Suki had one arm around Katara and was waving in more of a subdued fashion. Katara made a little guesture of welcome. Sokka had run up to help Toph down from Appa.

"How's my favourite metal bender!" He called out joyfully as he lifted her up into a hug and gave her a little shake. Toph seemed to have grown so much in two months. It was only when she was standing next to Sokka that Aang noticed it. Sokka was probably the tallest in their group but now Toph came up to his chest when he put her down.

"Great! How my favourite inventor!" she answered brightly.

"Just shiny!" Sokka answered. The last time they'd been at the northern Air temple, visiting the mechanist and Teo, Sokka had Toph metalbend prototypes of all his crazy ideas. Some of them had worked really well. Toph and Sokka and the Mechanist has spent ages just inventing things and had all these in-jokes that Aang didn't understand. Toph went off to be hugged and fussed over by Katara and Suki. He heard strains of conversation coming from the trio. "We missed you so much." "How was your birthday?" "Why do you have ink in your hair?"

Zuko jumped down gracefully and Sokka grabbed him in a hug and tried to pick him up too. Zuko, being too dignified to be picked up, retaliated and tried to pick up Sokka and it all descended into a competition of strength and the principle of it. Sokka was two inches taller and used it to his full advantage and succeeded in lifting Zuko's feet an inch off the ground. Zuko seemed to relent and let Sokka lift him up. Aang knew that Sokka just liked to tease Zuko to get a smile out of him.

"I've missed you, Your Dorkiness." Sokka said brightly.

"You too Sokka!" Zuko replied giving Sokka a sort of one armed pat on the back that seemed to convery get-a-hold-of-yourself-man and he went off to say hello to the others. Before Aang knew it, he too was swept up in a Sokka hug. Sokka hugs were some of the best hugs in Aang's honest opinion. Something about Sokka was just so solid and reassuring. He'd filled out in the past three years and he really resembled his father, with his broad shoulders and easy smile. "Aang, how ya been!" Sokka exclaimed. Aang's reply was a bit muffled because Sokka was smushing him into his chest. "Great to hear!" Sokka replied as he put him down.

Aang looked up to see Suki fussing over Toph and Katara hugging Zuko in welcome and exclaiming over how it had been so long, how tall he'd got in the last year, how scruffy his hair looked, and why did he have ink in his hair too, ooh and here he had a little smudge, how she was sorry for waking him up the other night all before Zuko could get a word in edgewise. She'd grabbed his face with one hand and licked her thumb with the other and started to rub at a particularly stubborn bit of ink.

Aang came up to the group. "Hi Katara." He said. Playing it cool. She looked up from trying to get the ink off Zuko's cheek. Zuko used her momentary distraction to step back a bit and Katara turned around fully and suddenly they stood across from each other.

"Hi Aang" she said and then paused awkwardly. After a long second, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek in hello and was rapidly followed by Suki, who followed suit. "Oh Aang ! it's great to see you again!" Suki said brightly and, in an uncharacteristic display of affection, she put her hand on Aang's back and started to lead him away to the house the three of them had been staying in. "You all must be so tired from your trip. Lets get some hot noodles into you." Aang let her lead the way, grateful that someone was offering some direction on what to do. The others followed. Well they'd said hello to each other now and neither of them had died of embarrassment. That was something.

0o0o0o0

As they were walking up the main road in Kyoshi they suddenly heard a squeal of delight and a lithe brunette flung herself at Zuko nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Zuko! You didn't tell me you were coming!" TyLee yelled excitedly.

"Hi TyLee. Sorry. It was a last minute planned thing." Zuko said.

"Oh that's okay. Tell me everything from home. How's Mai? How's Azula? Ooh did the fans work?" TyLee said all in one breathe as she fell in with their group and started walking with them.

"Mai's fine, Azula is…"Zuko paused as he looked into her cheerful and optimistic face. He sort of shrugged as if he was dismissing what he was about to say in advance. "Azula is fine too. Your fans were a nice idea." He said softly, not wanting to disappoint her.

"Oh great!" TyLee clapped enthusiastically. "I always knew she just had to let more of her feelings up. Bottling them is very bad for your aura and your energy you know. The fans just help blow all that negativity away, don't you find. You must have been using them too!"

"Why do you say that?" Zuko asked a little uneasily.

"Your Aura's never been clearer! And it's got a nice pinkish tinge to it today. A nice pink. Kind of salmon pink-y." TyLee said brightly as she beamed at him; clearly thinking she had paid him a great compliment. Zuko looked like he didn't know what to say to having a salmon pink tinged aura and there was a slight pause.

"…Thanks." Zuko said finally.

At this point Suki reminded Tylee that she was meant to be teaching some of the newer recruits how to do a sequence of backflips. Tylee gasped as she remembered. She waved at them all and blew Sokka a kiss and bounded off when her normal breathless energy. Suki took a deep breathe to calm herself and Aang was almost certain her heard her mutter to herself "I am a tolerant person. I am a tolerant person." She kept walking up to her old house, where she and Sokka and Katara had been living while they were on Kyoshi. The house showed all the signs of having been lived in, or at least having Sokka live in it. It felt cozy and safe. Aang felt a great feeling of home come over him. Everyone was together again.

0o0o0

Everyone sat around lazily, after unpacking and eating hearty noodle lunch. Toph and Katara were sharing the room that had the balcony overlooking the bay. Zuko and Aang were in the room on the second floor, next to Sokka and Suki's. Everyone was settling in and seemed so happy to be reunited as a group once more. The good atmosphere was infectious and Aang started feeling really cheerful.

Zuko went around the group and poured them all tea. Somewhere along the way Zuko had become their official tea maker, possibly because Iroh had drummed into him how to make the best jasmine tea ever. Everyone was catching up with each other. Toph had made everyone laugh with her stories of the antics of Captain Fluffymuffykins and the many, many Firenation jerks she had annoyed during her stay in the Firenation. Sokka kept talking about the boat that he invented only to be interrupted by Katara who said it was the worst invention ever. Suki started talking more about the Kyoshi Island warrior traditions and suggested that they go watch the training session this afternoon. Everyone but Katara agreed. She wanted to stay back and clear up the lunch dishes. Zuko volunteered to help her. Aang , Toph, Sokka and Suki filed down to the training arena and watched as Suki ran the girls through their exercises.

She was drilling them in the phoenix leap when Aang noticed it. The Airbending spirit always called to like minded souls and for a brief flash Aang felt it powerfully. As all the girls jumped high in the air he felt it, that familiar breeze, calling to his own bending. That gentle friendly tug at the corner of the senses. He couldn't tell which girl it had come from when they all moved as a group, but that didn't matter to him. There was another airbender out there. He wasn't all alone in the world anymore. He had thought he was the last one. He gasped in surprise and shock and joy and looked around to see Toph and Sokka smiling at him knowingly.


End file.
